PROGRESS: New recruits, technology highlight busy year for hospital

Patrick Dove/Standard-Times The new Hybrid Laboratory at San Angelo Community Medical Center opened recently and can double as a catheterization lab and an operating room. The lab caters to patients that suffer from peripheral vascular diseases, the building up of plaque in arteries and blood vessels.

Patrick Dove

Patrick Dove/Standard-Times Dr. James Taylor (left), a cardiovascular surgeon with San Angelo Community Medical Center, is assisted by his wife, nurse practitioner Christine Taylor, while performing a femoral popliteal bypass in the hospital's new Hybrid Laboratory. The lab caters to patients who suffer from peripheral arterial disease.

Patrick Dove

SAN ANGELO, Texas - San Angelo Community Medical Center is poised for an exciting 2011, on the heels of a significantly busy 2010.

Among the most significant accomplishments are 16 new physicians recruited to SACMC, including specialties such as cardiology, neurology, general surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics. With some physicians already in place, others begin later this year and in 2012. The physicians bring new energy and skill to the hospital and to San Angelo. We encourage the public to look for physician announcements each Sunday.

In 2010, we stepped into the future by launching the first and only Hybrid Cath Lab/OR in the area. The room offers both surgical equipment and high-end angiographic equipment in the same room. The creation of such a room requires special planning and design from both the heart surgeons and interventional cardiologists working closely together. It provides the best of both worlds and is crucial to our heart care in 2011.

In January, we opened a technically advanced, convenient and comfortable Sleep Center. The center, under the supervision of a board-certified neurologist with a fellowship in sleep medicine, helps diagnose people with sleep problems. With sleep problems showing significant linkage to cardiovascular disease, the sleep center is a needed service for the area.

We completed 2010 with a successful ER Wait Time pledge to the community and look forward to continuing the pledge in 2011. The average wait time to see a provider in 2010 was 27 minutes. Though we continue to see peak volumes at peak times, the majority of patients experience significantly less wait time in the ER. Such a project is comprehensive and takes the collective effort of every department in the hospital. It is part of our continued effort to improve services in the hospital and provide positive patient experiences. Our new ER billboards report a "rolling average" of the last two hours' wait time. The boards are updated every 15 minutes, and give a good indication of the current ER wait time.

SACMC is proud to be the exclusive sponsor of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health. The institute is a program of Texas Tech University and Angelo State University and focuses on leading research, education and community outreach regarding women's health. The first event for the institute, Day of the Woman, will be held April 30 at the C.J. Davidson Center. The all-day symposium offers topics on women's health and wellness and is open to the public. Individuals interested in purchasing a ticket may contact the Laura Bush Institute at 942-2754.

We look forward to our new partnership in 2011 with the city of San Angelo. We assume operations of the health clinic for city employees in the spring and will also launch a comprehensive wellness program for the employees. Participation in the wellness program should improve the overall health of the employee as well as contribute to controlling health costs in the future.

Brad Holland is chief executive officer of San Angelo Community Medical Center.